Ulysse Nardin introduces the new Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi]
The Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi] celebrates Ulysse Nardin’s enduring partnership with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. It is a fusion of avant-garde watchmaking and métiers d’art techniques. It is a limited edition of 30 pieces.
Ulysse Nardin, the Le Locle, Switzerland based watch brand, has introduced the Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi]. It celebrates Ulysse Nardin’s enduring partnership with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the leading watch retailer in the Middle East.
The Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi] combines avant-garde and unconventional watchmaking with the brand’s expertise in métiers d’art techniques such as guillochage and enamelling, “both of which require rare artisanal skills and techniques to accomplish.” The “Yas Blue” colour of its hour disc is inspired by the “piercing electric blue of the evening sky as the sun sets over the waters of the Gulf of Arabia.” The watch’s “hour disc is the work of very skilled artisans at Ulysse Nardin’s Donzé Cadrans Manufacture in Le Locle and the result of a complex, painstaking process.”
Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons
Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, founded in 1950 by the Seddiqi family, is among the leading and most well-respected timepiece and jewellery retailers in the Middle East, carrying over 60 luxury timepiece and jewellery brands across 51 locations in the UAE. It is “United Arab Emirates’ largest and most pioneering luxury watch and jewellery retailer.”
Ulysse Nardin Freak
Ulysse Nardin Freak from 2001. The Original. (Image credit: Ulysse Nardin website.)
Launched in 2001, the original Freak was a significant moment in high-end Swiss watchmaking. A futuristic design, ahead of its time, and one that challenged traditional mindsets, it proved that a watch does not have to follow the conventional model of individual hands for hours and minutes placed on a dial and set via a crown. It was the first mechanical watch to feature silicon escapement wheels. Silicon is now widely used in watchmaking. The thinking behind the Freak, along with its avant-garde design and impact on horology, makes it – especially the 2001 original – among the most iconic watches in horology. The Freak is a core collection of Ulysse Nardin, with no less than 15 models in its present catalogue.
Key features of the Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi]
Movement
Powered by Calibre UN-230, a Manufacture automatic movement designed and developed by Ulysse Nardin.
It is a “flying carrousel movement rotating around its own axis.”
Balance wheel and escapement made from silicon.
Oversized oscillator.
Parts 206. Jewels 21.
Frequency of 21,600 vph or 3 Hz.
Power reserve of 72 hours.
Functions and Dial Side Design
Hours and Minutes. “It’s one-hour orbital carousel tourbillon acts as the minute hand, while the hour hand is indicated by a pointer on a rotating disc that sits under the movement.”
The guilloché hour disc (bottom of the movement) features “Yas Blue” enamel. “The guilloché wave pattern is enamelled in an electric crepuscular “Yas Blue,” inspired by the mesmerising evening light of the Middle East.”
The arrow-shaped tips of the bridges or hour and minute indicators are coated with white Super-LumiNova®.
The 11 hour-markers are are coated with white Super-LumiNova®.
Case
Case and bezel are made from grey titanium.
Diameter 43 mm. Perceived height 11 mm. Overall height 13.78 mm.
Dial side features a sapphire crystal.
Caseback, screwed to the main case, is made from grey titanium, and features a sapphire crystal.
Water resistant up to 50 metres.
Strap and Buckle
Watch comes with a black rubber «ballistic» textured strap with white stitches.
Folding buckle made of titanium.
Our Thoughts
It is common practise for watch brands to celebrate relationships with retailers and countries. In September, Girard-Perregaux (Ulysse Nardin’s sister Maison) unveiled two Laureato models to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Switzerland’s diplomatic relationship with Japan, as well as its own relationship with Japan.
Like Japan, the Middle East is a key watch market (among the most important in the world), and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons sits at the forefront as its most important retailer. It is only natural for Ulysse Nardin to create a unique version of its most iconic watch to celebrate their partnership with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
Based on images and supporting information, the Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi] is a beautiful interpretation of this avant-garde watch. It showcases traditional elements, such as the métiers d’art craftsmanship of its “Yas Blue” hour disc combined with modern elements, such as its titanium case. The watch is a “reflection” of the Middle East itself, a region rooted in tradition, yet featuring the most modern and sophisticated infrastructure in the world.
The price of the Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi] does not break the bank, (relative to the Freak, off course.) The hard part will be getting an allocation for one of the 30 pieces.
Additional Details
Name: Ulysse Nardin Freak [X Enamel Seddiqi]
Reference: 2303-270LE-3AE-SED/3A
Warranty: 5 years.
Price: United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED): 154,000 (Approximately United States Dollar (USD) 42,000)
Limited edition of 30 pieces.
Available through Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
Please visit the Ulysse Nardin website and Instagram page for more information. Please contact Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons if interested to purchase.
We are fans of Ulysse Nardin’s Freak at The Cornea Impression. Last week we featured the brand’s Freak [One Navy Blue].
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